I just recently completed BBG 1.0 a 12-week program and I am so proud of myself! I am the type of person that has to work out and eat healthy no matter what, there are times I wish I could be that girl that can do nothing and always look great but I have come to terms with that fact that will never be me! I am also very aware and okay with the fact that I will never be a size 0. Working out, for me, is not only to keep my body in shape but it does wonders for my mental state as well. I am happier, more content and sleep better when I consistently exercise. Throughout the years I have worked out on and off and I have learned quickly that making sure I make time to work out a few times a week really keeps me on track and much more productive throughout my day to day life. I finally found a program that actually works for me that I will stick with.
In regards to eating, I overall am pretty healthy. I do not follow any strict rules and I don’t believe in dieting or depriving myself of certain foods. I like to find healthy alternatives to my favorite foods and I make sure to eat lots of veggies and protein, some fruits and of course my 4 ingredient peanut butter cups when that sweet tooth creeps up. (CLICK HERE for the recipe) I have done the Whole 30 before and I have been thinking about doing it again sometime soon to reset.
I did CrossFit for a few years but ended up feeling burnt out and decided to stop, after that, I would run here and there, go to the gym to take classes and had no real plan of action. After a while it got old and I learned a lot about myself and my workout preferences:
- I like to work out where I want when I want. I never like having to be at a class at a certain time or working around someone else’s schedule.
- I need step by step instructions on what to do to complete a workout. I have low motivation and not enough exercise ideas to do it myself.
- The less equipment the better, I don’t want to have to use a ton of different machines and stuff to complete a workout.
- I like short but effective workouts, I find that I stick to workouts better when I know I can get through them quickly but still feel the burn.
- I work from home so I like to have the option of getting a workout done between jobs at home or getting out of the house and going to the gym.
When I started to look around for options that fit my criteria and I came across BBG I was so excited! It checked all of my boxes and it was an attainable program for me. Mentally, I was able to wrap my head around 28 minutes of workouts a day, it is very doable and I have not felt burnt out. I also liked that it was mostly bodyweight workouts so I could complete the workouts at home if I wanted to. The only equipment that is needed is weights, a jump rope and something to step up on but I used tomato sauce cans, imitated jumping rope and used our ottoman for step ups (AKA used what I had and it worked great!). I told myself I would invest in a few workout tools if I stuck with it so I will be purchasing a few things to reward myself for the work I have been putting in.
As I already said, I am not the most creative when coming up with workouts, I also have low motivation to push myself and get a good full workout in. So the Sweat app is perfect for me, it tracks the workouts that I do and tells me exactly what to do. Literally, there is a woman on the screen showing the exact movements with an extra explanation if needed. There are 4 categories: resistance, cardio, recovery, and challenge. Then within those categories, there are workout options like the resistance has 3 different workouts: Arms, Legs and Full body. Each of those individual workouts has two workouts built in that you do twice each so four seven-minute sessions with breaks in between. You do the circuit as many times as you can until the seven minutes is up four different times.
When I first started out it was around a time where I was very scattered in my workouts so I was out of shape but I was also going through a lot of family stuff with my grandparents, I struggled to get going but I did the best I could. I would literally go as slow as I needed to complete the workouts and just did the best I could, I would skip days and not finish some days but I took it one day at a time. Little by little I started getting stronger and over time I started to look forward to my workout, it became a happy place for me and the outlet I needed get on track again. Once I got the resistance workouts done weekly I started to add the cardio in and went for a 3.5-mile run loop around town. As the weather got nicer I did it 2x and week and really looked forward to that time with my headphones on just zoning out and taking time for myself. I made sure to always do some of the recovery and stretching work because that is just as important and when I was feeling really good I would do the challenge (but to be honest that has only happened like twice).
Since finishing BBG 1.0 I have moved onto 2.0 and I have been loving it just as much. As I work through the programs they evolve and change which is nice because I do not get bored with the workouts. I make sure to schedule in 28 minutes of workouts into my day or a good run (sometimes both) to stay on track and feel the best I can both physically and mentally. I still have a long way to go but I appreciate the journey and have started to love and appreciate my body again which is really exciting. I hope I answered all of your questions in the blog post if not let me know in the comments below and I would be happy to answer them for you! My workout outfit is linked below, the top is only $29 and the back detail is so cute (I sized up) and the bottoms are only $34 (I bought my true size). My tennis shoes are very comfortable to workout and run in and fit true to size. When they start to get dirty I bleach them and put them in the washing machine then dry outside and they look brand new. Links to the full look are below.
10 Skincare Lessons I have Learned // Full Breakdown of Products
Let me know what you think!